VENEZUELA: A civil insurrection overturned a military coup in Venezuela yesterday allowing deposed President Hugo Chavez to retake power. The coup speedily unravelled as junior military officers disobeyed their seniors and civilians faced down security forces, demanding the reinstatement of the ousted leader.
In his return speech Mr Chavez appealed for calm and pledged to unite the nation, sharply divided over his government's programme of radical social reform. "I am very, very happy to be here again," said Mr Chavez. "The Venezuelan people have given a democratic lesson to the world." President Chavez was ousted early on Friday morning after the previous day of violence left a dozen people dead and hundreds more injured during anti-government protests.
It now appears that snipers shooting from rooftops close to the presidential palace were members of the city police acting under orders from Caracas mayor Mr Alfredo Pena, a virulent opponent of Mr Chavez. At least 10 "Chavistas" were killed by security forces on Saturday as they attempted to reach the presidential palace.
The interim president, Mr Pedro Carmona, attempted to hand over power to the National Assembly on Saturday until he was reminded that he had ordered its dissolution the previous day. Meanwhile, Mr Chavez's vice president, Mr Diosdado Cabello, declared himself acting president until Mr Chavez returned from his place of detention yesterday.
Latin American governments meeting at a summit in Rio, Brazil, formally frowned on the coup but behind the scenes they quietly accepted the removal of an outspoken critic of globalisation who sharply criticised US influence in the region.
The US government scarcely disguised its glee, blaming Mr Chavez's confrontational style for his downfall. Wall Street analysts reacted joyfully to the coup as oil prices dropped.
Mr Carmona, director of Venezuela's employers' federation, Fedecamaras, resigned and was taken into army custody yesterday for his own safety. In his brief reign Mr Carmona cut off oil supplies to Cuba, declared Colombian guerrillas "narco-terrorists", dissolved congress and annulled a new constitution, approved by plebiscite in December 1999.
The destabilisation campaign began soon after Mr Chavez was elected in 1998 when national media levelled charges of censorship against the leader, upset at a government proposal obliging the media to offer the right of reply to offended readers.
The media cried foul and called for the violent overthrow of the elected president on a daily basis. Banner headlines announced the "liberation" of Venezuela last Friday.
Back in the hillsides of Caracas the shantytowns heaved with anger as people waited and watched, sworn to defend the president with their lives. After centuries of exclusion the dispossessed majority had become protagonists of history under Mr Chavez's presidency, their rights enshrined in a new constitution which placed people ahead of profit.
Mr Chavez revitalised OPEC and outraged the US by becoming the first democratically-elected head of state to embrace President Saddam Hussein since the war on Iraq. The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, announced that Mr Chavez had expressed "insufficient support" for the war on terror. The US State Department then suggested that Mr Chavez might not complete his period in office if he didn't "put his affairs in order". "I never thought we'd make it back so fast," Mr Chavez told thousands of cheering supporters yesterday morning.
The crisis may not yet be over. Mr Chavez must lower his provocative tone toward opponents while the media should declare a ceasefire in their campaign against a legitimate leader.